


A Savory Filling

by skinandbones



Category: B: The Beginning (Anime)
Genre: Dating, M/M, and Quinn being the Quinn that he is, involving desserts and tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 16:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15368379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skinandbones/pseuds/skinandbones
Summary: Quinn isn’t prepared on this so called “date” with Minatsuki. With a bit of good luck, something good might come out of it.





	A Savory Filling

**Author's Note:**

> I keep thinking Minatsuki is doing all of this because he knows how to tailor to Quinn’s needs. And Quinn needs to figure out a lot of shit??? I guess???

“Tell me. Is there something on my face?”

His voice wakes Quinn out of a daze state. He blinks twice, realizing he’s been caught before noticing Minatsuki’s stare. Quinn was lost in thought, making a sort of an attempt to answer why Minatsuki accepted his offer to go out with him. Minatsuki didn’t put much thought into it, stating he had time and wanted a breath of fresh air while Quinn’s head spin in circles.

But now it ends in a failure. Quinn turns to his plate instead, nitpicking at his Danish pastry with his fork he ordered from Hazel’s Cafe they’re at. He treats his food like it’s his enemy and the war on his plate begins.

The peach umbrella stands tall in the middle of the table, blocking the sunlight of an early morning. On the side of the table sets a three-level tower of small pastries ranging from fresh strawberries and blueberry filling to sugary cookies to share between them along with a complementary pot of tea.

“I counted at least four times but carry on. I do not mind it.” Minatsuki slips a brief smile.

Quinn’s brow raises in sudden confusion. “You noticed,” he states mildly as he scoops up the savory, strawberry jam with his fork and dips it into his mouth. His tongue rolls and licks the sweet off the metal prongs, it hits his senses like lightning. It’s too sickeningly _sweet_ for his palette but he lets it slide down his throat without so much as a wince of the sugary flavor. He prays Minatsuki doesn’t realize it.

“You think I wouldn’t?”

“Maybe?” Quinn leaves the uneaten dough to the side. He tampers with the other half, scraping a hint of the dusted sugar powder off. “I thought I was swift with my technique.”

“Technique?” Thin lips curve upward in amusement. “Four times or maybe it’s five.” The reply isn’t chiding. “Unless you did it on purpose.” The teacup lands on the saucer, and Minatsuki inches a bit forward, resting his chin on his hand while pondering. “And you wanted me to find out.”

Quinn shifts in his seat. “Something like that.”

“Have you discovered something with that watchful eye of yours then?”

“It’s nothing you haven’t heard of before.”

Minatsuki’s icy blue eyes pierces into Quinn. The gaze looks all too familiar, a convincing one that no one can fight against. It’s easy to fall right into his hands, Quinn has seen the lesser reggies do so by the tone of Minatsuki’s voice. Some brought themselves down to their knees, a delightful scene to watch them tremble in their place, but Minatsuki can be endearing when he wants to be. Kind and indulgent. Men and women are easily swayed by his wicked charm.

It’s the excitement Minatsuki brings that entices their soul or an unknown attraction unexplained but their hearts twisted to the very end. Perhaps Minatsuki is a siren of the sea, luring the humans into his trap as he consumes their life.

“Do go on. There’s nothing to hide. It’s only me.”

“I’m not _hiding_ , it’s just—well,” Quinn answers, trying to figure out the words on his tongue. He blows a tuft of hair away from his face. “How the hell are you so fucking handsome? Almost everyone calls you pretty and it makes me wonder as well.” His hand swaying in the air as he speaks.

Quinn stops, searching for a sign on Minatsuki’s face but he receives no reaction. “I guess that’s just how it is. There’s no one else in the world like you, right?”

But the confidence dies as soon as Quinn finishes. No one would say such words to Minatsuki’s face. But it comes to a shock to him, reality slapping him when Minatsuki shrugs his shoulders and swings his hair behind his shoulder like it is nothing to him.

Minatsuki dresses in a casual attire. He’s less of a leader and actually blending like an upstanding citizen of Cremona. The thought is funny but nice. It must be the low v-neck shirt and slim pants hugging his skinny body that Quinn approves of, he has enough of seeing everyone wearing a suit nowadays. It’s always the same, it becomes monotonous as if they have nothing else to wear. Not to say they don’t have money to dress themselves but conducting business requires a sense of smarts and sophistication. One must look the part, after all. It has always been a rule for Market Maker members.

He prefers the nice change though. By the end of the day, they’ll return to their regular schedule with their work clothes on. He won’t say it aloud but he misses his gloves while Minatsuki is still wearing his, fingers are long and slender underneath and most certain his nails filed perfectly in an arch unlike Quinn’s where they’re impossible to grow because he tends to bite them down.

Part of Quinn considers Minatsuki is born from a God and other times, he doesn’t know what to make of him. Maybe it’s the simplicity of the shade from the umbrella blanketing over Minatsuki, shrouding him in mystery that would take eternity to solve, and Quinn wants to know why there’s this desire to learn more about him.

“Nevermind.” Quinn cuts half of the flaky crust into a smaller portion on the plate and pokes his fork into it before positioning it in front of Minatsuki, ignoring the embarrassment filling his face. “You haven’t tried this yet.” Or answered his question.

Minatsuki studies the offered food for several seconds, making an agreeable sound and opens his mouth as he accepts the treat without a word. He takes his time tasting it while in thought, and Quinn wonders if Minatsuki has a sweet tooth because he hates it. Minatuski swallows, his tongue licks the bottom of his lip and removes a teardrop of a glaze.

“Exquisite but flattery won’t help you here,” Minatsuki teases.

“You’re a generous man. Won’t you help a guy out?”

“What makes you think I’ll tell you?”

“Maybe you’re nicer than I thought you’d be.”

“Hardly but I suppose you earn a few points for that,” Minatsuki declares, reeling with a grin. “But first, I want to make some observations before we continue. If you don’t mind, that is.”

Quinn places his utensil down. “Great. Is this one of your evaluations again?”

“No, it’s not one of those tests. They’re only facts that I’ve gathered, nothing off putting,” Minatsuki promises.

“Fine fine.” Quinn doesn’t believe it. “Go ahead.”

A silent moment hangs between them before Minatsuki speaks again.

“You’re not fond of sweets but you’re trying to like them for my sake is a praiseworthy note. Correct?”

Hell. Minatsuki isn’t wrong. Quinn leans back against his seat and crosses his arm, frowning in another direction as he’s been compromised again. He stays quiet and listens because nothing passes Minatsuki when he’s on a dissecting mood.

“You don’t know this place, you were surprised. A bit conscientious of the surroundings when we walked in, so I assumed this is your first time here and someone must’ve told you about it. I wonder who. It couldn’t be Laica, I doubt this place fits his personality really.” Minatsuki has a pleasant smile as he studies Quinn’s face in the process. “Without your makeup on, you’re more honest than you look. Shy much? Would it explain the amount you put on every day?”

Quinn gathers his attention and faces Minatsuki again, eyes lowering to a fraction. “I’m fucking not shy.”

“You are not then.” Minatsuki nods his head.

Quinn sighs, rummaging through his hairs, his fingers slipping through a tiny knot and curls the strand around his finger. There’s nothing fun about this. “Izanami is the one who recommended this place. It’s not too flashy and easy to find. Everything’s freshly made.”

Grunting, he picks at the sweet with his fork again. It serves as a distraction, his hand needing to grip something rather than dealing with the unsettling nerves.

“I see,” Minatsuki hums, gazing at the abused treat. “One of Izanami’s areas of expertise.”

“It’s a mistake,” Quinn bites back with fire.

“Do not think of it like that.” Having enough of watching Quinn, Minatsuki adds, “You shouldn’t waste it. Here, give me another bite.”

“You like being fed, don’t you?” Quinn asks and sticks the crust and strawberry combo onto the fork, he holds it up for Minatsuki and watches him leaning closer, keeping his gaze on him as Minatsuki opens his mouth and swallows the food entirely. Quinn watches the soft lips leave slowly from the metal before following the bob of Minatsuki’s pale throat. Quinn’s face flushes with heat.

“Enjoying yourself? I wouldn’t want you disappointed.” Minatsuki wipes his mouth with a napkin. “Have you tried their cranberry scones? It’s less on the sweet side.”

Quinn cringes, looking at them and the lavender shortbread he ordered. Minatsuki couldn’t help but release a breathless laugh.

“Tea, perhaps? Unsweetened.”

“Fu—Fine.” Quinn swipes his cup, hesitant about tasting it but he sips the brown liquid, the bitterness of the ginger and a touch of cinnamon are pronounced on his tongue. The citrus tinge comes after, adding a tangy delight dancing down his throat. Inside his mouth, he tries cleaning the aftertaste as his tongue slides over his gums.

“I don’t understand how you like this.” Quinn stares into the cup and sees a small reflection of himself. There’s nothing about this tea that’s special, just bland all around. The idea of adding milk to it is another story.

“You picked this one actually. It’s a nice blend, to be fair. It compliments the desserts we have here, so your choice is considered a job well done.” Minatsuki takes a whiff of his drink and sighs at the pleasant aroma. “Take pride in your work. As you have done in your previous jobs.”

“It just sounded decent, that’s all.” Quinn concedes. “The taste is odd though.”

“Did you know that you and Kamui share the same opinion for teas?” Minatsuki questions. “Odd, yes. And a taste of piss, in his own words of course. I recommend speaking to him about it when you see him next time.”

“What? Carry on a conversation about teas? It’s obvious he hates it, he doesn’t like anything except himself. A bit narcissistic maybe.”

“You aren’t wrong but...” Minatsuki grabs for a scone and sets it on his plate. “He doesn’t hate everything; he likes you actually.” He pauses. “Ah. It makes sense when you think about it.”

He stares at Quinn, shooting a mischievous glance as if he knows so much more while Quinn seals his lips tight together, disgusted. Putting him and Kamui in the same sentence is not how he expects this to go.

Quinn had his fair share of dealings with Kamui especially when they end up with the same mission together. Kamui never leaves him alone, he makes horrible inappropriate jokes and tends to overshare when it isn’t necessary. He’s loud and uncontrollable. The king of fools.

The list grows. He’ll never understand Kamui’s nature. Kamui is like a bundle of lunatics stuffed in a washer machine and it’s too much for Quinn to handle, the energy he expends just to shut Kamui up is impossibly tiring.

“Maybe it was wrong of me to bring it up but I wonder. Do you plan on doing anything about it or you intend to prolong the inevitable?” Minatsuki asks.

“The inevitable? What’re you… forget it, we’re not talking about this anymore. I don’t get it. So… what else have you figured out? We’re not finished with that conversation, you know?”

“Ah yes, it’s my fault.” Minatsuki is back with his playful manner. “This entire ‘date’ is you trying to impress me.”

Quinn scoffs at the truth. What’s there to say? Isn’t it how it’s supposed to be?

“Yeah, well, I knew I shouldn’t have listened to Izanami.” His voice grows louder, upset. “Forget it, Minatsuki. Pretend this whole thing didn’t happen, I wasted your time today.” Giving up, he shoves a bunch of bills onto the table and takes his jacket with him. He pushes his chair back.

“Thanks for the company.”

“Sit down.” The command slices through the air.

Quinn stops mid-way, his legs won’t budge except for returning to his seat, both hands balling into his jacket on his lap. “There, happy now?”

“How unlikely of you to be upset over a small matter. You’re overreacting when you’ve done nothing wrong. If I wasn’t satisfied with this venue, then you would’ve known from the beginning. The entire outing would’ve been called off, so your intentions are… appreciated and listening to Izanami isn’t a terrible idea,” he adds, the gentle voice surprises Quinn. “Understood?”

“Yeah.” It comes out weak but it’s there.

Quinn curses at his own stupidity, making a fool of himself in front of Minatsuki. He rubs his temples, trying to straighten his thoughts out and clear his mind. He’s overthinking it but then again, Minatsuki has been nothing but patient with him the whole time. Quinn tries to achieve perfection because Minatsuki would expect it from him, it’s an appropriate conclusion to make but he can breathe better now.

“What the hell are we doing then? This is stupid, even this stupid place is stupid. You know what? I would’ve done it my way.”

Minatsuki is intrigued. “Explain.”

Quinn has an idea but there are expectations to behold - what Minatsuki wants comes first. He doesn’t have the answers to make his life simple, so he’ll play it by ear and trusts what his guts are telling him. He should’ve known Hazel wasn’t his style. It’s too generic, too common. And they aren’t common folks to begin with.

“It’s easy. I’d take the fastest car we can find and drive away.” Quinn spots a red Volkswagen Beetle parked across the street. “Doesn’t matter the location, we have the roads to take us anywhere. It’s better than eating like a princess.”

Minatsuki’s honest laughter comes out unexpectedly. “I thought of us like kings but I see where you’re coming from. It’s a most idealistic situation for you and not often we travel for pleasure. Am I right?” Minatsuki stands from his seat, shifting his head to the available car where Quinn was staring before.

“We shouldn’t waste anymore time. We’ll make our exit then.”

“Now?”

“Do you have any objections?”

Quinn reveals a smirk and rises from his seat, he brings his jacket behind his back. He keeps the paper bills underneath the teacup and the treats are forgotten. The day becomes anew with every second and breath he breathes, and he thinks about the pleasant drive, the wheel underneath his fingertips and the passing of the winds through his hair. He’s himself once more.

“Not at all.”

**Author's Note:**

> @[ofskinandbones](http://www.ofskinandbones.tumblr.com).


End file.
